Italian Creme Cake

Preheat oven to 350°

1 Cup Butter softened
2 Cups Sugar
5 Eggs separated
1 TBS Vanilla
2 Cups Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
Dash of Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 1/2 Cup Coconut
1 Cup chopped English Walnuts

Cream shortening, butter, and sugar.  Add egg yolks, one at a time.  Blend Buttermilk, Coconut, and Chopped Nuts.  Combine dry ingredients.  Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk blend to creamed mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold into batter.  Pour into 3 greased layer pans.

Icing
1 Stick of Butter softened
1 box Powdered Sugar
1 TBS Vanilla
8 oz. Cream Cheese

Ice when cake is cooled
Sprinkle Coconut and chopped nuts (optional)

Cherokee Kimchee (Kimchi)

I must give credit for the name of this to my late friend, Sherri Alder.  This "relish" became a classic toward the end of a very eventful summer and I was just finishing up the garden, not wanting anything to go to waste.  The recipe makes about 6 pints, but I always sterilize an extra jar, just in case.

4 ears of corn
1 small red cabbage
6 or 7 Tabasco peppers
Equal amounts of water and apple cider vinegar 3-4 cups of each.
1 TBS sea salt.

Sterilize 6 or 7 jars and lids
Blanch corn and cut off cobs when cooled enough to handle.  Shred cabbage.  Combine and gently blend corn and cabbage in large bowl.
Split Tabasco peppers and place one in each sterile jar.  Fill each jar with corn and cabbage mixture, up to about an inch from top.
Add 1/2 tsp. salt to each jar.
Bring water and vinegar to a boil together in kettle.
Fill jars with hot liquid up to 1/4 inch.  Place lids and rings.
Hot water bath for 20 minutes.
Allow sealed jars to sit at least 3 weeks before opening.

Honey Buttermilk Bread

by Jenn Gabriel

Ingredients
1 envelope yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water
pinch of ginger (helps activate the yeast)
2 cups warm buttermilk
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled so that it is warm to the touch but not hot.
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 cups white bread flour

Instructions
Mix the ginger, sugar, yeast, and water and set aside for five minutes.
Mix buttermilk, honey, salt, baking soda in with the yeast mixture.
Add three cups of flour and mix until smooth. On an electric mixer it is about 5 minutes on low speed.
Mix in butter until it is totally incorporated into batter.
Now, begin to add the rest of the flour, one cup at a time, keeping mixer on low speed.
When dough pulls from the sides of the bowl remove it from the mixer to a floured surface and knead until elastic and smooth.
Place in greased bowl, turn to grease the top, cover and allow to rise for 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down and form into two loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and grease tops.
Cover, and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400F. Bake for 30 minutes, covering tops with foil if they brown too fast.
Remove loaves from oven and brush with melted butter.
Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes.
Turn out and cool completely on a rack. Cover the loaves if you want soft crusts.

Note** I love using a brown sugar glaze when they are still hot for some added sweetness 

Homemade Kentucky Blackberry Cobbler

by Jane Jennings Graves

2 1/2 C Fresh blackberries, washed
1 C Sugar
1 C Flour
2 t Baking powder
1/2 t Salt
1 C Milk
1 Stick of unsalted butter, melted

First you should take care of the blackberry and sugar mixture because it needs to sit for a while. Stir together just the berries and sugar in a large bowl and let it sit out for 25-30 minutes. This will coax out the juices of the blackberries so that they can be sweetened up by the sugar, and we can taste the full spectrum of the fruit–this process is called macerating.

After about 20 minutes, you should turn on the oven to about 375º and start preparing your batter.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and milk with a wooden spoon. Next, stir in the melted butter and hand-mix it until the ingredients are well incorporated and you have few clumps.

Pick out a clean baking dish– a smaller one will do– pour in the batter and smooth it out. You can choose to line it with parchment paper or not, but don’t grease the pan (there is enough butter in there already!). Finally, pour the macerated blackberries on top with all the sugar included and evenly distribute it over the batter.

Bake this promising pan of happiness in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how golden you prefer it to be. Let it set up for a good 15 minutes so it will hold its shape. It will be bubbling like crazy and quite hot, so be careful!

This hour goes a little like this: you can hear it bubbling through the vent behind the stove, you can smell the buttery dough caramelizing with the sugar, and you can see the dotted crown of blackberries creating that quintessential golden cobbler crust. It is a marvel to have in your oven, let me tell you!

Serve warm or room temperature with warmed cream or fresh whipped cream. You can store this at room temperature with foil over it for 2-3 days, probably longer in the fridge…but it never lasts that long for me!

CHICKEN CABBAGE STIR FRY

Shared by Kathy Quinn Manning

Ingredients
~ 3 chicken breast halves
~1 teaspoon oil of your liking
~3 cups green cabbage, shredded
~1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
~ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
~1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
~1 teaspoon garlic powder
~1⁄2 cup water
~Soy sauce to taste
Directions
1. Cut chicken breasts into strips.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan.
3. Add chicken strips and stir fry over medium-high heat, turning constantly until done.
4. Add cabbage and red peppers and sauté 2 minutes until cabbage is crisp-tender.
5. Mix cornstarch and seasonings; add water and soy sauce, and mix until smooth.
6. Stir sauce into chicken/cabbage mixture.
7. Cook until sauce has thickened and chicken is coated, about 1 minute.
8. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. If you have any left over that is . . . wink emoticon
(You can add onions and red peppers to taste)

Louisiana Hot Chicken Dip

Ingredients:
2-3 cooked chopped well chicken breast
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons minced green onions (white and green parts)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine all of the ingredients in a casserole dish and gently stir until thoroughly mixed. Adjust seasoning to taste. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until lightly golden on top. Serve hot.

Serve hot, with hot sauce on the side for those who like it spicy. Great with crusty French bread or crackers.

Strawberry Creamcheese Cobbler

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup of all Purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 quarts whole strawberries, washed and tops off
4 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces.

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
melt butter and pour into 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish.
in a small bowl mix together the egg,milk,flour,sugar,baking powder, and salt. Pour directly over the butter in the baking dish, but do not stir.

Add the strawberries,arranging in a single layer as much as possible. Sprinkle cream cheese pieces over strawberries. Place in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown and edges are bubbling. ( crust rises up and around the fruit, but fruit will still pop a little out of top)